Transport and storage containers for liquids

ABSTRACT

A transport and storage container for liquids has an exchangeable inner plastic container and a pallet-shaped support frame on which the inner container rests. The inner container has four walls, each having a continuously smooth outer surface, a bottom and a top wall, and a filling spout and a drainage spout for receiving a drainage fixture. The transport and storage container also has an outer jacket for receiving the inner container, wherein the outer jacket is a sheet metal jacket or a grid jacket. The transport and storage container has a tamperproofing device in that at least one projection is formed as a unitary part of a support frame bottom of the support frame. At least one recess is formed as a unitary part of a lower bottom area of the inner container. The recess has a shape matching the shape of the projection so that the projection engages the recess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to transport and storage containers forliquids. The transport and storage containers comprise an exchangeableinner container of plastic material supported on the bottom of apallet-like support frame and having four walls, each wall having acontinuously smooth outer surface, and a bottom and a top wall, and afilling spout and a drainage spout to be connected to a drainagefixture. The transport and storage containers further comprise an outerjacket of metal for receiving the inner container wherein the outerjacket is formed as a sheet metal jacket or grid jacket.

2. Description of the Related Art

When reconditioning transport and storage containers of theaforementioned kind that are used as reusable containers and describedin DE 202 18 766.7 U1, there is the risk that the original container ofplastic material is exchanged for a container of lower quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to develop a transport andstorage container of the aforementioned kind that prevents the exchangeof the original plastic container for a container of a differentmanufacturer.

In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved inthat the bottom of the support frame has a tamperproofing device framedby at least one projection that engages a matching depression or recessof the lower bottom area of the inner container.

The tamperproofing device of the transport and storage containersaccording to the invention is characterized by a simple function and aninexpensive manufacture, both based on the feature that the functionalelements of the tamperproofing device in the form of projections of thebottom of the pallet-like support frame and matching recesses of theinner container bottom are formed directly (as unitary elements) on theparts to be tamperproofed of the transport and storage container and, inthis way, no separate components or parts are required for thetamperproofing device. Moreover, the projections of the support framebottom that is preferably manufactured of sheet metal material alsoimprove the stiffness or strength of the support frame bottom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a transport and storagecontainer for liquids according to the invention provided with atamperproofing device; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of a shallow tub-shaped bottom ofthe support frame of the container according to FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The transport and storage container 1 for liquids, used as a disposableor reusable container, has as a main component an exchangeable,parallelepipedal inner container 2 made of plastic material thatcomprises two sidewalls 3, 4, a front wall 5, and a back wall 6, abottom 7, and a top wall 8. The top wall 8 is provided with a fillingspout 9 formed as a unitary part of the top wall and closable by a lid10. A drainage spout 11 is provided as a unitary part on the lowerportion of the front wall 5 and has a drainage fixture 12 connectedthereto. The transport and storage container further comprises an outergrid jacket 13 comprised of crossing metal bars 14, 15 for receiving theinner container 2, wherein the ends 16, 17 of the vertical metal bars 15are welded to lower and upper circumferential edge sections 18, 19 ofthe grid jacket 13. The transport and storage container furthercomprises a pallet-type support frame 20 made of metal and having lengthand width measurements that conform to Euronorm standards.

The bottom 7 of the inner container 2 that is configured as a drainagebottom is provided with a drainage groove 21 that is arranged centrallyand extends with a downward slope from the back wall 6 to the drainagesocket 11 in the front wall 5 of the container. Moreover, the bottom 7drops from the two sidewalls 3, 4 to the central drainage groove 21 andfrom the back wall 6 to the front wall 5 of the inner container 2; theinner container 2 is positioned with its bottom 7 on the bottom 22 ofthe support frame 20 which bottom 22 is matched to the lower bottom 7and is made of sheet metal.

The bottom 22 of the support frame 20, that is designed to bemanipulated by means of forklifts, storage shelf operating devices andsimilar transport means, is supported on four corner legs 23-26, a rearcentral leg 27, a front central leg 28 formed out of the bottom 22 andarranged underneath the drainage fixture 12 of the transport and storagecontainer 1, as well as two lateral central legs 29, 30 that are formedby the outer ends of a bridge-shaped reinforcement sheet metal 31 forthe bottom 22.

The bottom 22 of the tub-shaped support frame 20 that is matched to thelower bottom 7 of the inner container 3 and reinforced by embossedgrooves 32, 33 drops from the two longitudinal edges 34, 35 to thecentral longitudinal axis 36-36 of the bottom 22 and from the rearbottom edge 37 to the front bottom edge 38 and has a central groove 39that drops from the rear bottom edge 37 to the front bottom edge 38.

The transport and storage container 1 is provided with a tamperproofingdevice that is comprised of two upwardly oriented projections 40, 41 ofthe support-frame bottom 22; the two projections 40, 41 engage recesses42, 43 of the bottom 7 of the inner container 2 that are matched withregard to their shape to the shape of the projections 40, 41.

The two opposed projections 40, 41 that extend from the longitudinaledges 34, 35 of the support frame bottom 22 transversely to the centrallongitudinal axis 36-36 are wedge-shaped and taper in the directiontoward the central longitudinal axis 36-36 of the support frame bottom22.

A matching wedge-shape is provided for the two recesses 42, 43 of thebottom 7 of the inner container 2; the recesses 42, 43 extend from thetwo sidewalls 3; 4 transversely toward the drainage groove 21 of theinner container 2.

In deviating from the described configuration of a tamperproofingdevice, the two projections 40, 41 of the bottom 22 of the support frame20 and the matching recesses 42, 43 in the bottom 7 of the innercontainer 2 can be displaced relative to one another. Moreover, there isthe possibility that the projections 40, 41 of the support frame bottom22 extend from the rear bottom edge 37 or front bottom edge 38 parallelto the central longitudinal axis 36-36 of the bottom 22 and that thebottom 7 of the inner container 2 has matching recesses 42, 43.Moreover, the configuration of the projections of the support framebottom and of the recesses of the inner container bottom can be limitedto the bottom surface. Also, the number of the projections of thesupport frame bottom and the number of recesses of the inner containerbottom are not limited to two. Finally, the tamperproofing device isalso suitable for transport and storage containers having an innercontainer that has a flat bottom and that is resting on a matching flatsupport frame bottom.

In another embodiment of the tamperproofing device for a transport andstorage container according to the present invention, the outer wall hasat least one indentation or at least one securing element mounted on theindentation, wherein the at least one securing element engages in acorresponding perpendicular groove of the wall of the inner container.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will beunderstood that the invention may be embodied otherwise withoutdeparting from such principles.

1. A transport and storage container for liquids, wherein the transportand storage container comprises an exchangeable inner plastic containerand a pallet-shaped support frame on which the inner container rests,wherein the inner container comprises four walls, each having acontinuously smooth outer surface, a bottom and a top wall, and afilling spout and a drainage spout for receiving a drainage fixture,wherein the transport and storage container further comprises an outerjacket for receiving the inner container, wherein the outer jacket is asheet metal jacket or a grid jacket; the tamperproofing devicecomprising: at least one projection formed as a unitary part of asupport frame bottom of the support frame; at least one recess formed asa unitary part of a lower bottom area of the inner container and havinga shape matching a shape of the at least one projection; wherein the atleast one projection engages the at least one recess.
 2. The transportand storage container according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneprojection projects upwardly from the support frame bottom and engagesthe at least one recess that is provided in the bottom of the innercontainer.
 3. The transport and storage container according to claim 1,wherein the at least one projection extends from longitudinal edges ofthe support frame bottom transversely to a central longitudinal axis ofthe support frame bottom.
 4. The transport and storage containeraccording to claim 1, wherein two of the at least one projection areprovided and are arranged opposed to one another.
 5. The transport andstorage container according to claim 1, wherein two of the at least oneprojection are provided and are displaced relative to one another,wherein two of the at least one recess are provided in the bottom of theinner container and displaced relative to one another to match the twoprojections.
 6. The transport and storage container according to claim1, wherein the at least one projection is wedge-shaped and tapers in adirection toward a central longitudinal axis of the support framebottom.
 7. The transport and storage container according to claim 1,wherein the support frame bottom is matched to a drainage bottom of theinner container and drops from two longitudinal edges of the supportframe bottom to a central longitudinal axis of the support frame bottom.8. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein thesupport frame bottom is matched to a drainage bottom of the innercontainer and drops from a front edge and a rear edge of the supportframe bottom to a central longitudinal axis of the support frame bottom.9. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein thesupport frame bottom is matched to a drainage bottom of the innercontainer and drops from two longitudinal edges of the support framebottom and a front bottom edge and a rear bottom edge of the supportframe bottom to a central longitudinal axis of the support frame bottom.10. The transport and storage container according to claim 1, whereinthe support frame bottom has a central groove that drops from a rearbottom edge to a front bottom edge.
 11. The transport and storagecontainer according to claim 1, wherein the support frame bottom istub-shaped.
 12. The transport and storage container according to claim1, wherein the support frame bottom and the bottom of the innercontainer have a matching flat bottom shape.
 13. The transport andstorage container according to claim 1, wherein the support frame bottomis comprised of sheet metal material.
 14. The transport and storagecontainer according to claim 1, wherein the support frame bottom iscomprised of plastic material.
 15. A transport and storage container forliquids, wherein the transport and storage container comprises anexchangeable inner plastic container and a pallet-shaped support frameon which the inner container rests, wherein the inner containercomprises four walls, each having a continuously smooth outer surface, abottom and a top wall, and a filling spout and a filling spout and adrainage spout for receiving a drainage fixture, wherein the transportand storage container further comprises an outer jacket for receivingthe inner container, wherein the outer jacket is a sheet metal jacket ora grid jacket; the transport and storage container further comprising atamperproofing device comprising: at least one recess provided in theouter jacket and engaging a matching vertical groove of a wall of theinner container.
 16. A transport and storage container for liquids,wherein the transport and storage container comprises an exchangeableinner plastic container and a pallet-shaped support frame on which theinner container rests, wherein the inner container comprises four walls,each having a continuously smooth outer surface, a bottom and a topwall, and a filling spout and a filling spout and a drainage spout forreceiving a drainage fixture, wherein the transport and storagecontainer further comprises an outer jacket for receiving the innercontainer, wherein the outer jacket is a sheet metal jacket or a gridjacket; the transport and storage container further comprising atamperproofing device comprising: at least one securing elementconnected to the outer jacket and engaging a matching vertical groove ofa wall of the inner container.